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Saturday, August 10, 2013

6 Fun Little Facts About Taste Buds

I really hate when I burn my tongue. My tongue seems to take forever to heal, and it kills the taste of food for awhile. I came across some fun little facts about our taste buds that I just had to share with you.

6 Fun things to know about your taste buds:1. The bumps on your tongue are not taste buds. Some of your taste buds are inside those little bumps. Your taste buds are also on the roof of your mouth and in your throat. 2. Everyone has a different amount of taste buds. Some people have up to 10,000 taste buds and they are called "Super Tasters". 3. There is a difference between Taste and Flavor. Taste is what your taste buds pick up. They are sweet, sour, bitter and salty . Flavor is a combination of taste plus smell.4 . Your tastes for different foods can change. Did you know that if you eat something you love and then get sick with a stomache bug, you can have an aversion for that food for a long time? If you hated broccoli as a child and love it as an adult, it could be because it was cooked differently. Sometimes adding cheese or certain spices can bring out the "good" flavor to food. So maybe it's time to give those nasty brussel sprouts another try. 5. Ohhh the hormones!!Pregnant women tend to crave sweet things. When a woman is pregnant, her taste buds change. Part of our survival instinct kicks in. Carbs are a usual thing for pregnant women to crave. Carbs give energy. Tasting bitter in foods protects pregnant women from things that could be poisonous, and protect the baby. See, it's ok to want ice cream or to suddenly hate lettuce. Our bodies are made that way. 6. Taste buds grow back. When you burn your tongue, your taste buds grow back in a few days. So even as we get older, those lovely little taste buds keep coming back.

#4 has my Husband written all over it. If he ever gets sick right after eating something...he will never touch it again. After having to change my diet due to diabetes...after 2 wks things I hated...I loved! It was very weird and cool.

Your tastes definitely can change. My daughter was recently very sick - not from food - but when she got better a lot of her tastes were different, too. Some things she is having to relearn what they taste like. It's very interesting how impactful those taste buds can be, and we don't even think about it.Sherry Compton